Leonardtown

[NOTSMC]

Lee and I went to breakfast at Flour this morning and Leonardtown is decorated for Halloween w/scarecrows in front of every store in the little downtown area. Pretty cool and some of them are quite original. If you get a chance, it's worth the drive through the town, then down to Zimmermans for the best tomatoes I've had all summer. And honey nut squash, got one roasting in the oven at the moment.

It was a nice fall day, love Leonardtown, nice smalltown feel to it, perfect day for poking around.

 

[RoseRed]

You should follow Leonardtown on FB. They announce all the stuff going on, like the Scarecrow Stroll all month.

 

[NorthBeachPerso]

The scarecrows are being vandalized according to the St. Mary's County Times.

 

[vraiblonde]

I love that Ltown is a proper downtown and cute little shoppy/eaty/drinky destination.

 

[Gilligan]

I love that Ltown is a proper downtown and cute little shoppy/eaty/drinky destination.

Amazing how much that area of town has changed over the decades...especially the time since Rt 5 only went through it, before the bypass. Lot of us thought the bypass meant the death of the old downtown, but its since been transformed in to something quite nice.

 

[NorthBeachPerso]

Amazing how much that area of town has changed over the decades...especially the time since Rt 5 only went through it, before the bypass. Lot of us thought the bypass meant the death of the old downtown, but its since been transformed in to something quite nice.

We've been trying to that in the Beach for decades. So far it really hasn't been successful.
Many of the business owners today can't stand each other (unlike when we started and they were at least willing to work with each other).
We started most of the business people lived in Town or close. They don't now so they're here for whenever they're here and then go home to Dunkirk or Huntingtown or Prince George's.
Many can't decide whether they want to be a tourist or local business.
Many insult the locals while also complaining about the tourists/day trippers.
Most haven't a clue of what they want to be. I've told countless that just because you like early 20th Century Ethiopian art and objects doesn't mean others share your interests.

I started out being very pro-business. By the time I decided to withdraw I had the reputation of being anti-business. Mostly because I was tired of the constant whining and stupidity and was not quiet about it.

An example of the stupidity is complaining about the Town not doing enough to bring people to Town and when they'd show up the businesses would be closed because having that many people to sell stuff to was too much work. Then there's also the undercurrent of the "wrong people" being here for events. That's a code, by the way.

It also doesn't help that most, meaning just about all, of the prime commercial property is owned by one developer who lets it sit empty while he submits new plans every year.

 

[Gilligan]

We've been trying to that in the Beach for decades. So far it really hasn't been successful.
Many of the business owners today can't stand each other (unlike when we started and they were at least willing to work with each other).
We started most of the business people lived in Town or close. They don't now so they're here for whenever they're here and then go home to Dunkirk or Huntingtown or Prince George's.
Many can't decide whether they want to be a tourist or local business.
Many insult the locals while also complaining about the tourists/day trippers.
Most haven't a clue of what they want to be. I've told countless that just because you like early 20th Century Ethiopian art and objects doesn't mean others share your interests.

I started out being very pro-business. By the time I decided to withdraw I had the reputation of being anti-business. Mostly because I was tired of the constant whining and stupidity and was not quiet about it.

An example of the stupidity is complaining about the Town not doing enough to bring people to Town and when they'd show up the businesses would be closed because having that many people to sell stuff to was too much work. Then there's also the undercurrent of the "wrong people" being here for events. That's a code, by the way.

It also doesn't help that most, meaning just about all, of the prime commercial property is owned by one developer who lets it sit empty while he submits new plans every year.

That's a shame. I think I've mentioned it before that, as a misguided ute back in the mid 70's, my running buddy's family had a house and two small cottages in the Holland Point development and North Beach was our "hangout". It was a rough and badly run down town back then. That said...I sure wish I'd had a crystal ball and snatched up a couple of those waterfront hovels in the town, at 15 grand or whatever they were bringing at the time.

 

[vraiblonde]

Amazing how much that area of town has changed over the decades...especially the time since Rt 5 only went through it, before the bypass. Lot of us thought the bypass meant the death of the old downtown, but its since been transformed in to something quite nice.

The Town administrators have worked hard and now Ltown is a designated Maryland Main Street.

 

[vraiblonde]

An example of the stupidity is complaining about the Town not doing enough to bring people to Town and when they'd show up the businesses would be closed because having that many people to sell stuff to was too much work. Then there's also the undercurrent of the "wrong people" being here for events. That's a code, by the way.

Ugh, the Solomons Business Assn was like that back in the day - not sure how they're doing now. One of my clients was the president of the association and he'd take me to meetings, I guess just to see if he could raise my blood pressure. Half would sit around trying to figure out how to reduce the number of (ugh) people coming to the Island, and the other half were all "WTH is wrong with you??" Tiki Bar opening was always a bone of contention. It was crazy.

 

[Gilligan]

Ugh, the Solomons Business Assn was like that back in the day - not sure how they're doing now. One of my clients was the president of the association and he'd take me to meetings, I guess just to see if he could raise my blood pressure. Half would sit around trying to figure out how to reduce the number of (ugh) people coming to the Island, and the other half were all "WTH is wrong with you??" Tiki Bar opening was always a bone of contention. It was crazy.

I only got this second hand, but that same kind of bi-polar behavior is apparently what cost the island the big APBA "offshore" boat racing event. I believe the demands APBA makes for local promotion and accommodation added to the problem. In any event, the APBA picked up their toys and left, never to return....and that took a lot of money off the table for local businesses. Heck, we'd attend with our big boat...rent a slip at Spring Cove Marina for the entire weekend, and travel around locally in our Boston Whaler that we'd tow over behind the big boat. Or we'd walk. I'd hate to tally up how much we spent over a race weekend and we were just a few among thousands.

 

[vraiblonde]

bi-polar behavior

It's like the SoMD businesses griping about Pax River - WTF do you think is going to buy your stuff if that Navy base goes away??

PCB is like that, too, although it's just a handful of the business owners and mostly it's long time residents who want all the tourists to go away.

 

[LightRoasted]

For your consideration ...

Ugh, the Solomons Business Assn was like that back in the day - not sure how they're doing now.

Heck, they are still like that. The people that run the SBA are the HOA Karens of Solomons Island. Remember when PRAD, (Patuxent River Appreciation Days), was a big huge thing? A full dedicated two day weekend event, with a parade that brought every one, even those Shriners that drive those tiny cars, near every ROTC group walked the parade route, Boy Scouts made parade floats, near every fire fighting apparatus, etc., and everything that accompanies, always drew a huge huge huge money spending crowd. Had an elected person, or such, calling out each parade participant as they passed by the MC podium in front of the CMM. Pretty sure they had a heavy hand in making that event disappear. Now? PRAD is pretty much an non-event and is solely held on CMM grounds. It should be renamed CMM-Appreciation day. Because that is all it has become.

One can almost feel the oppression and heavy handiness now once you get onto the island, its almost become boringly sterile. They've also even ruined the fireworks display by running loud irritating constantly blaring out crap noise down the entire boardwalk during the day, and then BS political PC commentary before the fireworks, then with some 'patriotic' type music playing during the fireworks when people just want to watch, sit back, enjoy, and listen only to the fireworks show.

Hey @Gilligan, the building that was Catamarans is for sale again. You should purchase it and give those SBA guys a good headache by bringing back fun to the island once again.

 

[vraiblonde]

Heck, they are still like that. The people that run the SBA are the HOA Karens of Solomons Island. Remember when PRAD, (Patuxent River Appreciation Days), was a big huge thing? A full dedicated two day weekend event, with a parade that brought every one, even those Shriners that drive those tiny cars, near every ROTC group walked the parade route, Boy Scouts made parade floats, near every fire fighting apparatus, etc., and everything that accompanies, always drew a huge huge huge money spending crowd. Had an elected person, or such, calling out each parade participant as they passed by the MC podium in front of the CMM. Pretty sure they had a heavy hand in making that event disappear. Now? PRAD is pretty much an non-event and is solely held on CMM grounds. It should be renamed CMM-Appreciation day. Because that is all it has become.

One can almost feel the oppression and heavy handiness now once you get onto the island, its almost become boringly sterile. They've also even ruined the fireworks display by running loud irritating constantly blaring out crap noise down the entire boardwalk during the day, and then BS political PC commentary before the fireworks, then with some 'patriotic' type music playing during the fireworks when people just want to watch, sit back, enjoy, and listen only to the fireworks show.

Hey @Gilligan, the building that was Catamarans is for sale again. You should purchase it and give those SBA guys a good headache by bringing back fun to the island once again.

That's a shame. Solomons could be such a great destination, too. I get that it's small but you can manage that pretty easily - I've seen a zillion cute small towns do it.

 

[NorthBeachPerso]

That's a shame. I think I've mentioned it before that, as a misguided ute back in the mid 70's, my running buddy's family had a house and two small cottages in the Holland Point development and North Beach was our "hangout". It was a rough and badly run down town back then. That said...I sure wish I'd had a crystal ball and snatched up a couple of those waterfront hovels in the town, at 15 grand or whatever they were bringing at the time.

Yeah, but lack of money and risk aversion can play a part.
Remember back then that Holland Point had changed its name from North Beach Park so it wouldn't be associated with the Town. People just west of Greenwood out of Town got a PO Box at the Owings Post Office so they wouldn't be associated with the Town. A writer with the Washington Post wrote an article (I still have it around someplace) and said it was worse than any slums he'd seen in India.

 

[Gilligan]

Hey @Gilligan, the building that was Catamarans is for sale again. You should purchase it and give those SBA guys a good headache by bringing back fun to the island once again.

I have to say....owning Swann's got the urge to do anything like that again, completely out of my system. LOL And I had the value-added benefit of pretty much an entire peninsula of neighborhoods that supported that place 100%. No "Karen"s that I can recall...

 

[frequentflier]

Ugh, the Solomons Business Assn was like that back in the day - not sure how they're doing now. One of my clients was the president of the association and he'd take me to meetings, I guess just to see if he could raise my blood pressure. Half would sit around trying to figure out how to reduce the number of (ugh) people coming to the Island, and the other half were all "WTH is wrong with you??" Tiki Bar opening was always a bone of contention. It was crazy.

I left the SBA several years before I closed my store in Solomons. Originally, there were a lot of small locally owned businesses. Then came in the Cal Co Gov't folks that got a paycheck whether they worked or not. Many, if not most, did not patronize my store or other small businesses. I got sick of hearing what the libraries and colleges were doing. I got tired of Economic Development people that had never owned a small business- telling us how to run our businesses. They offered "help" and I took them up on it with a couple of meetings. I got NOTHING for them that was helpful or meaningful and considered it a total waste of my time. I can read stuff out of books, too.
Sad to say, I rarely go to the island to patronize the businesses there. I should, however, make it a point to go down and hear Ben Connelly play!

 

[MADPEBS1]

But But But the new ferry system will stop at Solomons, bringing peeps from all over the bay region! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A whole new way of life

 

[Gilligan]

. I should, however, make it a point to go down and hear Ben Connelly play!

Me too.

 

[bonehead1]

I have to say....owning Swann's got the urge to do anything like that again, completely out of my system. LOL And I had the value-added benefit of pretty much an entire peninsula of neighborhoods that supported that place 100%. No "Karen"s that I can recall...

I know I damn sure did. Hic burp.....

 

[ronny88]

The scarecrow decorations really add to the charm, and it’s great to hear about the local businesses thriving. I love those small towns that really embrace the seasons.